Webster's Ninth Edition - Essay Example

Hero Webster's ninth edition dictionary defines a hero as “a legendary or mythological figure often of holy descent blessed with great power and ability. He is a celebrated warrior, a man recognized for his achievements and honorable qualities and one that depicts bravery." These efforts at describing the character of a hero are upsettingly inadequate as there is predominant stress on the physical strength, bravery and warlike dexterity and the absence of any mention of intellect. My definition of a hero is an individual of high moral reputation and superior ability who follows his goals tirelessly in the face of strong antagonists. Because of his uncompromised devotion to excelling no matter the challenges, a hero attains spiritual greatness even if he fails to gain practical victory. Every developing person growing up had his preferred childhood hero. As one grows older, his taste is more inclined to intellectual heroes, like a categorical young engineer who stands by his own judgment against a society at large in a book stressing independence as a virtue. Another example is by finding heroes, not in creative writings, but in the prodigious men and women of real life like George Washington commanding his worn out troops across the Delaware to blow the British Army on the eve of Christmas. Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence risking fortune, life and sacred honor to find the new republic on the principle of individual rights was also a form of heroism. A hero could also be an inventor like the Wright Brothers who dedicated years of effort to unearth new knowledge and create new products. The men and women of grandeur whose achievements inspire millions have an assortment of certain characteristics. Some are primarily physical heroes, some intellectual, and some are excellent examples of heroes who use the principle of body and mind incorporation. Some are large-scale characters soaring through a work of creative writing, whether on the print media, screen or stage. They perform their skilful and outstanding actions in actual existence. More prosaically, some are female, some are male; some are black, some white; many are non-Americans, some are Americans; some live in the 21st century, many lived in the past; optimistically, many are yet to come. (Baldwin and Elaine 13) Epic Heroes The traditional epic hero is godlike, brave, and tough. They act as all-knowing or intelligent persons who assist the protagonist. The epic hero has a vast setting in scope- worldwide and beyond. The hero is in pursuit of something of significant value to him and his people. The adventure of the epic involves heroic conducts and battles, always in a long journey or battle. The villains that keep the hero from his pursuit are uglier, evil, and cunning than in normal life. The gods take an active part in the story. The epic hero has a marvelous physique; larger than life possesses. They also have character traits most esteemed by society like; wit, courage, determination and wisdom. The epic hero follows his goals amidst many setbacks. Despite his heroic nature, he has human traits and shortcomings that make him seem real. For example, some are cunning or extremely tricky. Beowulf- an Epic Hero Beowulf is certainly the most epic hero of the last century. This is evident through his super-human strength, courage; loyalty, generosity and reputation. Throughout the poem, "Beowulf", he meets ugly monsters and elephantine beasts yet he never gets overcome by fear. He uses his exceptional courage and unwavering strength to put his people ahead of himself. He claims victories by far over all others, and he uses his experience to guide others. Beowulf continuously risks his existence to gain immortal glory and to build well of his people. He represents all the morals of his society and is the classic Anglo-Saxon man. Beowulf repeatedly puts the well-being of his society ahead of his. His objective throughout the poem "Beowulf" was to safe guard the safety of others. He gets sent to get rid of a terrible, previously unbeaten monster. He risks his life for the Danes and asks for assistance from nobody. He knows the menaces of his quest yet this does not stop him from murdering Grendel. Even after serving as king for five decades, Beowulf steps down from his throne to combat an awful dragon that is disturbing his people. His courage and generosity are crucial characteristics to his heroism (Baldwin and Elaine 43). Beowulf is an idol to his society due to his unthinkable strength. He fought through countless combats returning gloriously from all but his last. Beowulf defends his loss against Breccia in his argument with Unferth. They had been swimming for a week every night and killed nine sea animals. Beowulf was the only person strong enough to defeat Grendel the monster, by removing his arm from his torso with bare hands. Beowulf successfully raised the Giant's blade which had been used to kill his parents. He carried her heavy head to the sea, which later took four men to lift. Beowulf's energy and strength show his heroism. This is just but a few of his heroic traits. The hero of the epic poem represents the morals most valued by the society which describe a hero. In the poem "Beowulf", he was the epic idol. He was a classic champion because of his virtues. His virtues are true to his word; he was brave and made his father proud. Beowulf lived up to his word by saying "I by myself and the help of my soldiers, may eliminate wickedness from this hall". It gets stated further in the poem that, "the infamous slayer fought for his emancipation, not for the flesh but haven for escaping from where got trapped" (Baldwin and Elaine 31). In these lines, it says that Beowulf would fight Grendel "the infamous murderer," and then he tortured him till he begged for mercy. Beowulf was courageous. He was full of valor by saying "I by myself and the help of my soldiers, may eliminate all wickedness from this hall." He also showed courage by saying, "When my trouble is near, the comforting words stated, and if your foe should kill me then be it," that was when he fought Grendel’s mother. When he fought Grendel’s mother, he was also courageous by proceeding to fight her all alone. He did this with only with a blade and armor, "He carried her, armor and blade and all" (Baldwin and Elaine 22). Beowulf also depicted bravery when he fought a dragon. He said, "I feel no disgrace, with shield and armor and sword, against this ogre: when he comes to me”. The third trait of brevity Beowulf showed was that he would make his old man proud. He made his father proud because he followed in his footsteps. His father was extremely popular, Beowulf says, "My father was an infamous soldier, known all over as a prominent leader". Beowulf is an outstanding example of an epic hero who lived and conquered many. His actions and deeds throughout his lifetime portray the definition of a true hero. When we think of heroes, we must look at people who won battles against the wicked and evil. They also do this without demanding a thing from their communities. Heroes do things for the benefit of others and not for their own sake. Works Cited Stanley P Baldwin, E. S. CliffsNotes on Beowulf. New York: John Willey and Sons, 2011.Print. Read More